Belgrade, Dec 9, 2003 - A conference entitled "Partnership approach in the resolution of the unemployment problem - the Employment Development Plan of the Sumadija District" was held on Tuesday in Belgrade. The conference was organized by the Serbian Ministry of Labour and Employment and financed by the European Union, as part of its project "Support to Human Resources Development Measures for the Unemployed and Redundant Workers in Serbia".

Serbian Minister of Labour and Employment Dragan Milovanovic said that the two-year project is worth €2 million, and is being carried out in cooperation with the European Agency for Reconstruction. The project's goal is to introduce a new, more efficient system of professional training and employment of the unemployed and redundant workers in Serbia, based on European knowledge and experience.

Milanovic said that the first phase of the training of workers in the programme "Zastava-Employment and Education" has been completed so far in the Sumadija District, specifying that 65 workers with higher education underwent training, and additional 53 instructors for the unemployment programmes were trained.

Also, market research was carried out along with the analyses of Sumadija District employers' needs. Milovanovic said that unemployment reduction method used in the Sumadija District will serve as a model that will be used in other Serbian regions as well.

European Council First Secretary David Hudson said that since October 2000 the European Union (EU) has provided over €1 billion to assist Serbia-Montenegro in improving people's day-to-day lives. He stated that the partnership approach in cutting unemployment is another opportunity to demonstrate the effectiveness of EU polices when employed in the western Balkan region and Serbia-Montenegro.

Hudson voiced hope that the unemployment reduction pilot project in the Sumadija District will provide prospects for the future not only in Kragujevac but the entire country.

European Agency for Reconstruction representative Hasso Moline said that the restructuring and Privatisation of socially-owned enterprises in Serbia which have taken place over the past three years have left thousands without a job, and for that reason it is necessary to adapt the training of the unemployed and young people to the needs of the changed Serbian economy.

According to Moline, the training should be focused on those sectors where a potential for growth is apparent.